The White-Gold Tower (sometimes written without the hyphen), also called the Imperial Palace or simply White-Gold,[1][2] is the enormous central spire of the Imperial City, located in the heart of the Palace District. It towers above everything else in the city.

The tower was built by the Aldmer in the middle Merethic Era and was the center of the region occupied by their kin, the Ayleids.[3]Tel Var Stones are believed to be pieces of the tower. The tower was originally called the Temple of the Ancestors, and was home to the Ten Ancestors, a set of Ayleid statues made from meteoric iron and glass.[4] The distance between the Ayleids' lands and those of their theoretical overlords led to the establishment of White-Gold Tower as an independent city state in 1E 0;[3] a state that lasted until Alessia overthrew Ayleid rule in 243.[5][6] The Ten Ancestors were removed from the temple before its sacking and were dispersed among several Ayleid cities.[4]

Currently it serves as the Imperial Palace and hosts the vaults and libraries of the Moth Priesthood. It can be seen from all over the Imperial City and the surrounding countryside, and is a defining symbol of the Empire.

White-Gold Tower is speculated to wield the power necessary to keep Mundus from dissolving back into Oblivion.[7][OOG 1]